December 27, 2024

Captivating: Chapter 7 God as Lover – Opening Our Hearts to the Romancer (pp 113-119)

February 19, 2013 by

Yesterday in church our pastor spoke of a love so deep and passionate that it saves lives, it saves hearts and heals the wounded. It changes the course we are on; it sacrifices itself for us and places our best interest above itself. This love gave His life for us. He died on the cross for our salvation, so we wouldn’t have to pay for our own wrongdoings. A love that chose us, a love that is available at all times, day or night.

This love does not come from a man.

This love comes from God.

I can relate to the analogy used of a wilting flower. When we feel loved, desired, and pursued we seem to come to life, we perk up, and we feel beautiful. “Her (our) heart begins to come alive, come to the surface, and her (our) countenance becomes radiant.” Our heart comes to the surface; that thing we have tried so hard to build walls around and protect comes back to life.

When God pursues us, which He does passionately our hearts come back to life. The hearts we tucked away so long ago begins to desire to become what it once was, it begins to talk to us again, to share our desires again, and all because it is being pursued. This only happens when it is pursued by God. When we allow our hearts to truly know God, and when we seek that intimate relationship with God our hearts will begin to grow into the heart God intended for us to have all along. 

Potter and His clay

Shepherd and His sheep

Master and His servant

Father and His Child

His friends

Bridegroom and His Bride

All of the roles God plays in our lives are meant to guide, love, and protect us. They are meant to offer protection and caring. A potter knows the clay he is working with, he knows what it is going to be in the end. A shepherd knows each sheep by name and does everything to guide and protect them. A master knows his servant and accepts them into his family. A father knows his child and loves them unconditionally. Friend’s support and offer companionship. And a bridegroom loves his bride to no end.

Like the book says, God has been passionately pursuing us since before we were conceived. He knows our heart better than anyone, even ourselves, and He has been here from day one, loving us!

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Let’s Pray:

Dear Heavenly Father, Your pursuit for us is what makes us feel beautiful. Your love for us is what awakens our heart. You have been passionately pursuing us since before we were born; You alone know what our hearts truly desire and what our hearts truly need. Thank You for knowing what our heart can be; thank You for molding it into that image. In Jesus’ Name, we pray, Amen.

Your Assignment:

This assignment has 2 parts:

Part 1: God plays many roles in our lives; they’re listed in the post. What are some Scripture references that refer to these roles?

Part 2: God shows us His love and His presence through things that romance us. What has God used in your life to show you that He is always there?

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 If you are interested in sending a private message to Tonya, please email her at TonyaEllison@girlfriendscoffeehour.com

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Captivating: Chapter 6 – Will You Let Him? (pp 92-98)

February 12, 2013 by

“Will you let me come for you?”

Yesterday we talked about letting God into our painful places to bring healing. The miraculous movements that He will make in our life, the beauty that He will bring in place of the ugly pain and hurt that has piled up for so long; if only we let him. Yesterday we said “if you let Him,” today it’s a question: “Will you let Him come in?”

For so long we have done things on our own…for so long we have trusted our own system, our own way of dealing with the pain…for so long we have been doing it wrong. To borrow from the quote that John and Stasi included in this section, “The trouble with steeling yourself against the harshness of reality is the same steel that secures your life against being destroyed secures your life against being opened up and transformed.”   The walls I built—the walls we built—were an attempt to protect what remaining parts of my heart I felt I had left and I think that goes for a lot of women. We want to hold on to what we feel we have left, but in doing this we shut out the one person who can heal those damaged parts, the one who can make our hearts whole again.

God promises to be tender, to care for our hearts in a manner that would never bring pain.

Hosea 2:14

Therefore I am now going to allure her

I will lead her into the desert

And speak tenderly to her.

Another version I read said that He would “speak comfort to her.”  Imagine the healing and comfort and peace we can have if we say ‘yes!’  If we open our hearts to God and let His hands repair what years of pain has broken down. He is knocking on our hearts. Knocking and waiting. Knocking and waiting. He knocks and we hold more tightly to that key; he knocks and we fear that opening the door will bring more pain.  We fear that it will make us more vulnerable than we already are. But, lovely ladies, it is very opposite from that. Opening the door to Him will heal that hurt, He will strengthen us through His love, and He will remind us that ours are hearts of beauty and wholeness.

 

Psalm61_1thru3

Ladies, God is knocking and asking us to turn the key over to Him.  He is asking us to unlock the door and let Him in to begin the healing work He wants to do. He is asking us to stop believing the lies of our hurts and to remember the healing message in His truths.

I have worked as a hospice bereavement counselor for three years,  One of the main pieces of information I give to patients and their families is to allow themselves to feel the emotions they are having. Not to stuff and ignore…but to allow the emotions to flow.  To cry, to be scared, to be mad, that it is okay to feel in response to their situation. To “let it out.” We have to let ourselves feel again, ladies; to feel without fear of opening ourselves up too much, to feel without fear of being wrong in our feelings. To feel with the knowledge that God has our heart in His hands, to feel and give those feelings to God, the fear, the anger, the hurt.

He is knocking. He is waiting at the door to our hearts. He wants us to cry out to Him…to give Him the key.  He wants us to let Him in to heal our hurts.  To make our hearts the complete masterpiece He designed them to be.

With Love,

Tonya

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Let’s Pray:

Dear Lord, thank You for not leaving us.  Thank You for knocking and waiting. Thank You for not giving up on the women you created us to be. Thank You for Your love and compassion, for Your healing touch. I bind the spirit of fear in Jesus name, it has no control over our lives, it has no say in our emotions. Our hearts belong to You, Lord.  In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.

Your Assignment:

There is a prayer on page 101 (I’m not sure what page it is in the electronic version, but it is at the end of the “Renounce The Agreements You’ve Made” section. It is a prayer for the spirit of truth, it is a prayer to renounce the lies we have believed over the years.

If you journal, this would be a great place to write this prayer.  If you feel comfortable, you can pay it in our private Facebook group, as well.

Also, please stop in and share your thoughts from these sections. Your insights may bless another.

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If you are interested in joining this online Bible study, please click HERE to sign up.

Once we receive your registration, we will email you further details.

If you are interested in sending a private message to Tonya, please email her at TonyaEllison@GirlfriendsCoffeeHour.com

 

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Captivating: Chapter 6 – Healing the Wound – Hemmed In (Pgs 92-98)

February 11, 2013 by

I’m sitting at my computer stirring my coffee, allowing the warmth, and the soft vanilla smell to wake me up on this beautiful morning. I had finished reading the first two sections of the chapter and the words are still working their way into my heart. There are times when I read the book that I will re-read, look up definitions, and look up Scriptures to help me understand what I’ve read. But this morning was different. As I was curled up in my favorite reading and writing spot—the corner of our love seat—the words I was reading were an echo of what God has been speaking to me for quite some time. Hiding wounds and building walls around them is something that I have, unfortunately, become very good at. Some wounds are old while others are still fresh.

I wasn’t letting anyone near these wounds, especially not God. These wounds were destroying my heart, they were starting to show in other areas of my life because I had set up walls, I had refused access. I was taking care of it.

God had to “thwart” me. He had to step in front of me and stop all my ways from working. This summer was the time in my life when I came back to Him, wounded and aching.

I want to clear something up first: I hadn’t strayed so far from Him that I was completely living in the world. I was still going to church regularly.  I was still being kind to others. I was still trying to live the good Christian life.  My wounds were well-hidden. To be wounded, and in need of God’s healing touch, does not mean you have to be the prodigal daughter, the one who has abandoned all of her childhood teaching to go explore the world.  It means that life’s hurts, whether self-inflicted or created by others, are hindering us from being the woman God created us to be.  They are stopping us from truly being ourselves.

These sections hold some very serious topics, it may even feel overwhelming to think of it all at once.  But, if anything is taken from these sections, please let it be these four words…

If you’ll let Him

 Isaiah 61:1-3

“The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me,
Because the Lord has anointed Me
To preach good tidings to the poor;
He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,
To proclaim liberty to the captives,
And the opening of the prison to those who are bound;
To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord,
And the day of vengeance of our God;
To comfort all who mourn,
 To console those who mourn in Zion,
To give them beauty for ashes,
The oil of joy for mourning,
The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness;
That they may be called trees of righteousness,
The planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.”

*Healing. Releasing. Comforting. Providing. Bestowing. Joy-giver. Beautifier.*

We are told why Jesus has been placed on this earth, like the text says, it is not just to offer us salvation and then leave us to our own devices. He has come to continue to make us who we were designed to be. For this, I am so thankful. I am a work in progress. We are a work in progress.

Captivating_Ch6_Blog1This summer I turned to God broken and hurting and He was there to save me…but He is not done. Thank God! Despite our wounds, despite our hurts, despite the past that we as women carry He is not done with us and He will do everything it takes to rescue us and set our hearts free.  If we let Him, He can, will, and wants to be all of these things to us. If we let Him, He will make our hearts whole.

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Let’s Pray:

Dear Heavenly Father, You told us that You came to heal our wounds, to make us beautiful, to free us. Thank You. We try to handle our wounds ourselves. We build walls, we hide them. Healing our wounds is a job for You, Lord. Please forgive us for trusting in our own methods more than trusting Your words, and Your heart. Please help us to take a step back and allow You in to those walled places, those places of pain. Please continue to mold us into the women You designed us to be. I pray for peace, strength, and joy, Lord.  In Jesus’ Name, I pray. Amen.

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Your Assignment:

What are your thoughts on these sections? What touched your heart?  What do you have questions about?

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 If you are interested in joining this online Bible study, please click HERE to sign up.  Once we receive your registration, we will email you further details.

If you are interested in sending a private message to Tonya, please email her at TonyaEllison@GirlfriendsCoffeeHour.com

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Captivating: Chapter 5 – Further Assault – What’s Going On

February 5, 2013 by

I love history.  I love to know how things were in time past, and how those things affected present times. I think that knowing about history is vital to understanding the world today; I feel that the same applies for us as people. Our history explains so much of our present.  It answers a good deal of the “why” questions, as individuals and as women as a whole. Our history may be different depending on the generation we were born in, the country we call home and even our family dynamics, but there is one common factor: women have not always been the most liked or respected of God’s creations. Stasi and John go as far as to use words such as “special hatred” and “diabolical” when referring to society’s general opinion of women.

No, the thought of our history does not bring on a warm fuzzy feeling, and it leaves me scratching my head in wonder of how thoughts and opinions could come to pass in the first place. But, like so many other things in life, I don’t have the answers and there is only one thing I am left to do. Turn to God.

There are three things that I can rely on when it comes to explanations I wish I had, but don’t.

1.         God allowed this history to be what it is for a reason.

2.         God knows what He’s doing.

3.         He’s doing it for a reason.

Romans 8:28

And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.

Despite what our history was…or how it leads those around us and in society to see/feel about women…please rest and be assured that God’s plan is playing out.  His will is being done and we are living according to His purpose.  Don’t look past the history, don’t look past the influence it has on our world today, and don’t overlook God’s hand in that history.

With love,

Tonya

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Let’s Pray:

Dear Lord, we don’t know why things happen in this life. We don’t understand why people think the way they do, or have the opinions about women that they have. What we do know is that Your will is being done. “All things work together for good to those who love God.” Thank You for this promise.  Thank You for Your love.  In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.

Your Assignment:

Our history has been a troubled place. How has the past of women shaped your way of thinking, if at all?

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If you are interested in joining this online Bible study, please click HERE.  Once we receive your registration, we will email you further details.

If you are interested in sending a private message to Tonya in regards to this blog, please email her at:  TonyaEllison@girlfriendscoffeehour.com.

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Captivating: Chapter 5 – The Whole Story (A Special Hatred intro)

February 4, 2013 by

I can relate to Stasi’s story during the introduction of this chapter—not in relation to gardening—but to various other “assaults” in my life.  I can recall the first few events happening, words being said; in other words, the first few “hail stones” falling. I can recall watching the damage happening from afar but feeling as if I was powerless and couldn’t do anything. And I remember standing in the middle of the destruction, asking myself question after question. The loudest question being “Why?”

I am a firm believer in taking time in stepping back to look at the whole story. Taking the time to see all the who’s, what’s, when’s, where’s and why’s of a situation.  It doesn’t mean that I am going to change my opinion of a situation or change my actions, but I like to know the whole story.  In school when we were told to read a passage, I would read some above and below that passage to get a better understanding. When I read a Scripture in the Bible, I do the same. I read a few more verses above and below the highlighted one.

Looking more into the story at either end can answer questions we are holding in our minds, it can clarify confusion, or bring a hidden part of the situation to light. When I’m reading, I like to find one or two things in the material that especially stand out to me, that touch my heart. Today it was these words:

“But, in order to understand the lingering doubts in your own heart regarding your femininity, in order to understand why it is so rare to encounter a truly alive and vibrant woman, you must hear more of the story.”

We must hear more of the story. While doing this can answer questions and help to reveal some of the unknowns, it can also bring to light things we have tried so hard to forget. I urge each and every one of us to be willing to look at more of the story—more of our story.  I take great peace in knowing that this journey may be tough at times, but the Author of our stories is walking along with us.

All who hate me whisper against me,

Imagining the worst for me.

Psalm 41:7 (NLT)

Read more of the story…

I know you are pleased with me,
for you have not let my enemies triumph over me.
You have preserved my life because I am innocent;
you have brought me into your presence forever.

Psalm 41:11-12 (NLT)

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Let’s Pray:

Dear Heavenly Father, our stories are sometimes things we choose to hide. To step back and look at the various assaults in our lives can bring pain that we have tried hard to hide, and forget. As we see in Your Scriptures, Lord, looking at the whole story can bring peace and understanding; it can bring healing. Give us courage and peace as we walk these journeys, as we look more into the story to find answers for questions we have had for a lifetime. Thank You, Lord, for walking with us. Thank You for not leaving us to do this alone. In Jesus’ name we pray.  Amen.

Your Assignment:

Looking into more of the story can be an intimidating task. What is your initial reaction on doing this? On looking at the whole story?

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If you are interested in joining this online Bible study, please click HERE to sign up.

Once we receive your registration, we will email you further details.

If you are interested in sending a private message to Tonya, please email her at TonyaEllison@GirlfriendsCoffeeHour.com

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Captivating: One Thing Is for Sure (Wounded Hearts – Passive Fathers)

January 29, 2013 by

Childhood. This word means so many different things to so many different people. To some it means pain…to others it means joy. It may even mean both.  We may have mixed emotions about our youth. We may not be able to identify what we feel.

Our childhood was different from the woman next to us. It was unique. The pain we may have experienced was ours, our wounds were ours. You may or may not be able to relate to the stories written in this chapter. But we can all write our own stories. Our own wounds and hurts.

“This is not Eden. Not even close.”

“You cannot be alive very long without being wounded.”

“Because we are the ones loved by God, the King of Kings, Jesus himself, who came to heal the broken hearted and set the captives free.”

These three sentences stuck out in my mind the most this morning as I read. The words are all too real. We do not live in a perfect world, and we all know hurt and pain. A good amount of this pain can be traced back to our youth. We can even trace the pain back to a specific event. Our world was, and still is, far from Eden.

To be honest, this topic is not an easy one to discuss and there is only one absolute that I know of.

Despite the wounds our fathers may have caused, despite the wounds formed in our childhood, there is one person we can count on to heal those wounds. To repair the hurts we have.

 God, the King of Kings, Jesus Himself

 

Isaiah 61:1

The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me,
Because the Lord has anointed Me
To preach good tidings to the poor;
He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,
To proclaim liberty to the captives,
And the opening of the prison to those who are bound;

Psalm 147:3

 He heals the brokenhearted
And binds up their wounds.

 

Here to heal the brokenheartedI don’t know what your childhood was like; I don’t know if this chapter touched areas of your heart that only God can repair. What I do know is that we all have wounds of some sort. And I know that only God, our Heavenly Father, can heal those wounds. No, we don’t live in Eden. And, yes, our world is a troubled place, ready to hurt at any turn. But rest assured that we have God on our side. The Bible states it clearly: He is here to heal the broken hearted, to set us free from the bonds of our wounds.

With Love,

Tonya

 

 

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Let’s Pray:

Heavenly Father,

We are wounded. These wounds are different for different people, but they are present. Thank You for being the Healer we desire, the Healer we need. Our world can be a painful place; hurts and hindrances are hiding around every corner. But You, Lord, are our Shield and our Strength. Thank You for healing our broken hearts, Lord.  Thank You for setting us free.  In Jesus’ name we pray.  Amen.

 

Your Assignment:

I listed two Scriptures today. Is there a scripture you turn to when the pain of a wound is present? Is there a Scripture that brings you comfort. Please share these Scriptures—they may bless and comfort others.

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If you are interested in joining this online Bible study, please click HERE to sign up.

Once we receive your registration, we will email you further details.

 If you are interested in sending a private message to Tonya, please email her at TonyaEllison@GirlfriendsCoffeeHour.com

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Captivating: Nature vs Nurture (Wounded – Mothers, Fathers and Their Daughters)

January 28, 2013 by

I think most women ask questions like this:

Why is this the way I am?

         What made me, me?

We wonder what influenced our behavior, our actions, our taste in men, the choices in the friends we choose. We think about things like this. I know I do.

I know that God created me, He formed me in His image, and He knows everything about me.

But what makes me do what I do? Think what I think?

Nature vs Nurture?

The nature versus nurture debate is one of the oldest issues in psychology.

Are our actions and behaviors determined before birth and driven by genetics? Or, are they directed by our experiences, what we went through as children and even in our adulthood?

I believe that both play a part, we are our parent’s children. Some of their personality traits were passed to us at birth, and what we heard, saw and experienced while growing up plays a major role in how we see and live life today.

My daughter will be 10 on January 31. I see so much of me in her is surprises me sometimes. My situation is special, like many other women in the world. I had my daughter at 18; her biological father chose not to play a role in her life. I was blessed with a husband who treats and loves my daughter as if she were his own. What surprises me more than how much of myself I see in her, is how much of my husband I see in her, and how much of  her biological father I see in her. Though one has been with her for almost her entire life and the other has not.

Through my own experiences I have learned that our fathers impact our lives in more ways than we can see, but I guess it didn’t become concrete for me until I saw this in my little girl.

It has been said before that single women have advantages over married women. More time to devote to God, without the responsibilities of motherhood and of being a wife. There is another advantage that I didn’t realize until after I became a wife and a mom, is that I had the time to pray for myself and my future family. Prayers for a Godly husband and father for my children, prayers for myself to be a Godly wife and mother to my children; I pray these prayers daily for my family now, and I see God moving in great strides, but I encourage you to start now.

Pray for the influence you will have on your future children, or pray for the influence you have on the children you already have.

Biggest ImpactOur fathers made a mark on our lives, some of those marks were better than others. But our Heavenly Father has the biggest impact of all. Remember that despite the happenings of our childhood (good or bad), God created us in His image, and with His heart.

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Let’s Pray:

Dear Heavenly Father,

There are times in our adult life where we sit back and wonder how we became who we are today. What influenced us, whether it be good or bad? Our mothers and fathers were chosen to be our parents for a reason. They influenced our lives as children, and we grew to be the beautiful women we are today. Thank You for being the biggest influence in our lives.   Thank You for giving us Your heart. We may have questions about our life, why questions, hurts You can only heal, but we know Your hand is on our life. We know that despite the question of nature vs nurture that God is the ultimate designer of and influence on out life.  In Jesus name I pray, Amen

Your Assignment:

I know that our childhood can be a sensitive subject. Have you ever wondered what influenced your life, or who influenced your life? Have you ever thought about your past and questioned the influence your mother or father had?

______________________________________

If you are interested in joining this online Bible study, please click HERE to sign up.

Once we receive your registration, we will email you further details.

 If you are interested in sending a private message to Tonya, please email her at TonyaEllison@GirlfriendsCoffeeHour.com

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Captivating – Chapter 3: A Woman’s Deepest Question – The Curse

January 22, 2013 by

We were driving the other day and my 6 year old son proceeded to tell me that when I get old there was this stuff he saw on Television that I could use to take the wrinkles away.  I sat in the front seat stifling a laugh and thanking him for his concern.  But I found myself wondering about the quality of my skin. Do I have wrinkles? Is it time to invest in more effective skin products? I think of the days where I have a pile of clothes on my bed because all of the shirts I have tried to wear that day just didn’t look right. I think of my daughter, who will be ten later this month, preparing for the day in the mornings and taking a good amount of time doing so because she wants to get everything just right. We want to be lovely, we want to be captivating.  We question our inner “loveliness” in addition to our outer beauty. How do I come across to others? Do I display the traits of a Proverbs 31 woman?  We are always questioning a loveliness that was once natural and automatic or women.

Biting that apple changed everything…

How often do I find myself taking matters into my own hands? How often do I find myself telling God that I put all of my faith in Him to give me the life He wants me to have, but then I “take matters into my own hands”? Speaking for myself, the answer is far more often then I would like to admit.

 Proverbs 19:21

Many plans are in a man’s mind, but it is the Lord’s purpose for him that will stand.

This scripture brings me such peace, no matter what plans we may have, or how much we try to be in control, God’s plans for our life will come to pass. And He plans for us to be lovely and captivating.

The implications of the curse can be intimidating; they do not paint a very promising picture.  But we cannot allow this to deter us.  Yes, we women do have vulnerabilities…we do have the habit of wanting to control situations…we are affected by relational issues, but where we are weak, He is strong.

 2 Corinthians 12:9-10

But He said to me, My grace (My favor and loving-kindness and mercy) is enough for you [sufficient against any danger and enables you to bear the trouble manfully]; for My strength and power are made perfect (fulfilled and completed) and show themselves most effective in [your] weakness. Therefore, I will all the more gladly glory in my weaknesses and infirmities, that the strength and power of Christ (the Messiah) may rest (yes, may pitch a tent over and dwell) upon me!

So for the sake of Christ, I am well pleased and take pleasure in infirmities, insults, hardships, persecutions, perplexities and distresses; for when I am weak ]in human strength], then am I [truly] strong (able, powerful in divine strength).

Rest assured God knew what was going to happen; He knew what the outcome would be. He also knew that, despite the curse and despite the fallout from the bite, we would be beautiful!  We would be—and are—captivating.

With love,

Tonya

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Let’s Pray:

Dear Lord, we wonder about the opinions of others…we question our inner and outer beauty…we worry about looking right and acting right. We are vulnerable, and like to take matters into our own hands. Please help us to remember that where we are weak, You are strong.  Help us to keep our eyes focused on You, and remember that Your plan for our life was written before Eve took that bite.  And that Your plan will happen. Thank you for making us beautiful and captivating, Lord.  In Jesus’ name, we pray.  Amen.

Your Assignment:

I have the habit of taking matters into my own hands, or trying to that is. This week I am going to intentionally give everything to God. I carry a journal with me. So when a situation comes up, and I get that urge to take care of it, I am going to write it down…pray…and give it to God. I encourage you to do this. You can use your phone, a notebook, or whatever you are comfortable with.

_______________________________________________

If you are interested in joining this online Bible study, please click HERE to sign up.

Once we receive your registration, we will email you further details.

 If you are interested in sending a private message to Tonya, please email her at TonyaEllison@GirlfriendsCoffeeHour.com

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Captivating: Chapter 3 – “Haunted By A Question” – What Happened

January 21, 2013 by

 

I had to laugh when I read the story at the beginning of the chapter. I laughed because I have been the woman accused of having too many groceries in my basket and because I have been the woman who was doing a silent count in my head of the basket in front of me, making sure they had the allowed amount of items.  It’s not only situations like that, it’s others. I can laugh now but after the “incidents” of losing my temper, jumping to conclusions, being unnecessarily rude, lacking faith etc. all I felt was a sense of guilt and shame. I asked myself the same question Stasi asked herself “What’s going on here?”

I’ve always wondered what the world would be like if Eve wouldn’t have eaten the apple… What kind of woman would I be then?

 

If Eve

 

Has this question ever ran across your mind?

“Eve was given to the world as the incarnation of beautiful, captivating God, a life offering, life-saving lover, a relational specialist, full of tender mercies and hope. She brought strength to the world, but not a striving, sharp-edged strength. She was inviting, alluring, and captivating.”

We often don’t feel like this. Life can be overwhelming, and we can feel caught in the struggle of balance. We may not feel inviting, alluring and captivating. ..

BUT, our God says we are. He created us as the incarnation of beautiful, each in our own way. We are relational specialists, a Gift from God. We are strong, a feminine strength that only women possess.

Deep in my heart I don’t believe that Eve’s decision that day changed God’s purpose for women. We were still created to be beautiful; we are still created in God’s image. We have tough days where we are the 15 or under police in the line at the grocery store, and we can’t explain our feelings. But God knows us, He knows who He created, He knows our tendencies, our strengths, our weaknesses and our struggles.

The days where we feel torn and unbalanced are the days we need to remember the most that we are God’s. We are inviting, we are captivating and we are alluring.

 

With Love,

Tonya

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Lets Pray:

Dear Lord, it is hard to be a woman some days. Our emotions and feelings can feel uncontrollable and we can’t justify our thoughts and actions, especially when they don’t line up with those of the woman we strive to be. But, on these days we know that we can turn to You. We can remember that we are Yours and that You created us. We don’t have the answer for the question of why we may react the way we do at times but the one definite thing we can rely on is that we can turn to You.  Thank you for loving us through our unbalanced imperfection.  In Jesus Name, Amen.

Your Assignment:

On days where we wonder “what’s going on here?”, what do you do to bring your focus back to God?  What do you do to help yourself to remember that despite the situation you are still a beautiful woman (inside and out) that was created in Gods image?

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If you are interested in joining this online Bible study, please click HERE to sign up.

Once we receive your registration, we will email you further details.

 If you are interested in sending a private message to Tonya in regards to this blog, please email her at TonyaEllison@girlfriendscoffeehour.com

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Captivating: What Does Eve Speak To Us – God’s Heart For Relationship

January 15, 2013 by

This book has helped me to see things in such a different way. I’ve heard many  of these concepts and teachings since I was a child but I have never looked at them from the perspective that I now am.

I had to read these few sections more than once to fully grasp what they were saying, and I’m sure I will need to revisit them again in order to understand the deeper truth. I was reading the words but they were not sinking in as much as I would have hoped they would. Like I said it took a few times; but after reading and rereading it began to sink in.  Let me explain why these concepts were difficult to grasp. In my eyes God is powerful, he is masculine, honestly the image I have of my God is far from feminine. I always understood that man bore the image of God, that man was created in his image. In my eyes “man” stood for the literal meaning of man, a male. I suppose that I never dug deeper to use the term “man” as a general meaning, man and woman. I never stopped to see my womanly traits and attributes as coming from God.

  God is relational. So are we.

God has a heart for romance. So do we.

God has a desire for intimate relationships. So do we.

God longs to love us. We long to love.

God longs to be loved. We long to be loved.

 It’s time that we embrace the heart God placed in each and every woman. A heart that is created in the image of Gods heart.

As John and Stasi say several times, we are relational beings. I know that I define myself by my relationships. Good or bad. Whether it is my husband being happy or upset with me. My children thinking that I am a wonderful mom or them thinking that I am mean because I had them go to bed early one night. It can also be the lack of a relationship by which we define ourselves.

Who is the most in-tune person that we know? God. We were designed in his image, this is why we are so in-tune with the relationships we keep. It’s not a weakness as I once thought. It is another part of our heart that is created after Gods.

Gods heart. Eves heart. Our heart.

 There is one relationship that should be held higher than any other.

 How easily do we get wrapped up in life and forget that God’s desire is to have a relationship with us. How easily do we become so caught up in pursuing other relationships that we place our relationship with God on the back-burner.  I know it’s time for me to place my relationship with God in the place He deserves. First.

 

Let’s Pray:

Father, thank You for creating our heart in your image.  Thank You for creating us to be incredibly in tune with the relations we develop.  Help us to see the strength in our hearts. Please help us to remember that our relationship with You is our first priority. You want to love us and You want to be loved by us. You want the number one place in our lives. Lord, You gave us a heart to know You and that is our true desire. Continue to teach us and to grow us Lord.  In Jesus name we pray, amen.

Your Assignment:

These sections reminded me that God created our hearts to seek Him. What is one thing you can do this week to place your relationship with God in the number one place?

If you are interested in joining this online Bible study, please click HERE to sign up.

Once we receive your registration, we will email you further details.

 If you are interested in sending a private message to Tonya, please email her at TonyaEllison@girlfriendscoffeehour.com

Filed Under: Singles Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
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